


Through the Season

by guardiancastiel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Baseball, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, M/M, Non-Chronological
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-06
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-03-21 11:36:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3690783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guardiancastiel/pseuds/guardiancastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story that connects through baseball, friendship, passion and love. I span time and place. Most certainly not in chronological order.</p><p>Originally written for a prompt over at comment_fic at LJ - continued because head canons carried me away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It definitely wasn't love at first sight.

An uneasy disdain settled into the pit of Jean's stomach when he first set eyes on Eren Jaeger. 

Still, the kid had an arm like no other. His hand had been sore on more than one occasion catching some of Eren's fastest pitches. 

On the occasions when he caught a ball to the face, his catcher's glove would come off - fists ready for a fight. Him and Jaeger seemed to go round for round more than their coaches would've liked but their team was good. 

Now at the end of the season, the sting of having lost the championship, the culmination of all their frustrations with each other settled into comfort. 

Jaeger had been smacking the back of his head against the dugout wall, tears streaming down his face in a surprising unabashed show of emotion. In a quick unconscious motion, Jean placed his hand between the wall and Jaeger's head and took the smaller boy into an embrace. 

It had been difficult; their relationship. It was never meant to be love at first sight, but a growth of respect and understanding brought them close. 

Instead of a fist barreling down onto Eren Jaeger's quivering lip, this time it was a kiss.


	2. The Pickoff.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the eve of March 1976, Erwin Smith makes his annual round at recruiting genius pitcher Levi Ackerman. Expecting their senior year to be a golden one, they are instead met with tragedy.

Levi slid his key into the lock on the door to The Underground. With a small turn of his wrist and a near silent click, he locked the entrance to the old bookstore for the last time. 

It was the eve of March of his senior year in high school and though graduation loomed near, Levi's interest in his future was indifferent at best. 

So surely as the season had come so had the low aggressive rumble of a familiar muscle car parked in front of the store's parking lot. 

Levi shot an emotionless glance at the person behind the wheel and tightened his grip on the ring of keys in his hand. He and the waiting boy and been doing the same song and dance for four years now. 

Each year prior he had tried a different evasive maneuver and each year prior the same 1967 Chevy Impala had met him wherever he had escaped to. 

For his final tactic, Levi decided to go with the only trick he had left. 

“Your shitty car makes too much noise,” Levi said with disgust as he bent slightly at the open window of the passenger side of the car to eye the teen driver. 

“Nice to see you too, Ackerman,” the teen replied, his steely blue eyes glinting amusingly at his peer. “Get in, I'll drive you home.”

Levi opened the passenger side door and slid into the seat of the car. 

Erwin Smith, one of Maria High's quintessential golden boys had been making the effort each high school year to ensure that Levi Ackerman joined the baseball team.

“How's the arm?” 

Levi sighed. “Severely injured after having stacked books all year.”

A small grin spread across Erwin's face as he pulled out of the parking lot and made an impulsive right turn. 

“This isn't the way home you ass!” The smaller teen shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unintentionally sliding closer to Erwin.

“I'm hungry. Let's go to Sonic Burger,” Erwin replied casually and instantaneously Levi regretted having gotten into the car so easily. 

“You're name wasn't on the sign-up sheet.”

Levi scoffed. It never was and yet somehow once he relented to Erwin's badgering about joining, he was put on the roster as starting pitcher. 

“I'll talk to Coach,” Erwin continued. “He'll put you on and it shouldn't be a problem.”

“Smith, did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't want to be put on the roster?” Levi wondered if the teen could feel his gray eyes stabbing into the side of his neck. 

“Yet you join every time and pitch a hell of a season.” A broad grin spread across Erwin's face that time. Whatever death glare Levi had thrown at him had been most surely deflected. 

Erwin pulled his car into the drive-thru of Sonic Burger and slowly neared the intercom. 

A sudden unease settled over Levi's body. He hated compliments, especially about his pitching – a fact he was sure Smith knew. It never stopped the overgrown first baseman at regarding his skills, as if one day he expected Levi to get over his anxiety. 

“I'll have a cheeseburger and a large vanilla milkshake,” Erwin spoke into the small intercom speaker. “Ackerman, order whatever you like.” 

“Eat shit, Smith.”

“Uh, that'll be all, thanks.” Erwin spoke into the speaker again. He received his total and began to drive up to the first window. 

“You might get scouted this year. In fact, I'm sure of it.”

Levi gritted his teeth. 

“You'd be an idiot to turn it down.”

Just as Levi was about to spit out a slew venomous words, the drive-thru window slid open.

“Your order comes out to three dollars and forty-eight cents,” a familiar, rather messy haired girl squeaked out. 

Erwin handed her four dollars from his wallet and took his burger and shake from her. “Hey, I know you,” he said cheerily.

The girl nodded enthusiastically and awkwardly fumbled at the breast pocket of her uniform, pulling out a pair of black rimmed glasses. “Zoe!” She smiled brightly. 

“Now I recognize you!” Erwin smiled. “You're good at Chemistry.”

“Mostly,” she agreed, as she slid her glasses on. “H-hi Levi!” 

“Hey, shitty glasses.”

“Keep the change, Hanji.”

The two boys drove on, Erwin slurping loudly at his shake as they went. 

“You're almost as loud as your car, Smith,” Levi said finally, anger still welling up beneath his chest. “If Zacharias was here too, I'd be deaf by now.” 

“Mike's too busy with college now to drive around with a high schooler like me.” 

Levi noted a twinge of sadness behind Erwin's words.

“He's still in college? I was sure that dumb jock would flunk out his first semester.”

“It's what he has going for him. He wasn't scouted after all.” Erwin let those words linger between them for a while.

“Do you truly believe I'd let you tell me what to do with my life?” Levi asked angrily. 

Erwin his slowed his car to a halt at a stop sign two blocks from Levi's house. 

“Why do you play, Ackerman? I want the honest truth.” 

The question went unanswered for what seemed like hours, a tense air filling the car. It was a question Levi had never been asked, although he often expected it. His attitude towards baseball wasn't exactly passionate, unlike most of the boys on the team he was more technical about it than anything else. Being calculative toward the game earned him the right to not be as heavily coached as the others and despite baseball being a team sport, he often felt very alone on the pitcher's mound. 

He liked it that way. 

Though none had asked him before why he played, he had many a time posed the question toward himself. After wins and after losses, the inquiry lingered in his mind with only unimportant answers to tide him over till he asked himself again. 

A particular poignant memory always seemed to still his mind. One where his childhood friends would play ball for hours in an abandoned field; a small girl with dark red hair and a dusty blond headed boy who seemed to play with more passion than anyone he ever knew. 

Friends who had went their separate ways; until one chance encounter freshman year out on the field of a rival baseball team. 

No one had ever hit one of Levi's pitches right up to bat except Farlan Church. 

Levi knew why he kept playing, but he'd never say. 

Erwin shifted in the driver's seat, his milkshake being held between his thighs. 

“Play with me one more year,” Erwin said softly and it sounded more like a plea than a demand to Levi's ears. “You'll regret it if you don't. I know you're not big into team spirit and I know that you feel alone out on the mound.”

Levi's eyes went wide, it was an unintentional show of emotion that garnered him a smile from Erwin. 

“But we need you,” Erwin went on, his gaze returning to seriousness. 

Levi had been there through it all with the first baseman; had seen him overjoyed at every win and crumpled over attempting to hide the pain at every loss. What he would do for the team was immeasurable and Levi was certain the senior would make Captain his final year.

“C'mon!” Erwin broke the air of intensity and slapped playfully at Levi's knee. “Maybe we can finally win the Championship this year and maybe you could even strike out Church this year too.” 

Levi tried not to perk up at the thought. It was then that he noticed Erwin's hand had not moved from his knee. 

“Even if you don't strike him out,” Erwin said lowly, his eyes connecting with Levi's. “We could always pick him off at first base.”

After a few moments of silence passed, Levi swatted Erwin's hand away.

“Take me home, Smith.”

Erwin rubbed at the back of his hand, his Impala inching forward. “You'll be on the roster tomorrow morning.” 

From the corner of his eye Levi could see a smirk on Erwin's lips and as the teen drove forward from the stop sign, a strange light began to illuminate his silhouette.

&&&

Before he could register what had happened, Levi found himself jolted awake by a cold atmosphere surrounding him. 

His whole body ached as a female's voice crept into his ears.

“It's okay,” she reassured.

Levi felt a hand on his shoulder and as his vision became clearer, he was met by the white walls of a hospital room. 

“You were involved in car accident, Mr. Ackerman.”

He turned his head slightly to the right and placed a body to the voice that had been trying to calm him. 

“My name is Nurse Anna and you're at Maria General Hospital.”

“I know where I am,” Levi grumbled. “What happened?”

“You and the driver of the car were sideswiped by a pickup truck. You only sustained superficial injuries.”

“And the driver? The guy that was with me?” 

“His injuries were more extensive,” the nurse replied hesitantly. 

“But is he okay?” Levi noted a panic in his voice that he hadn't expected. 

The look on the nurse's face explained a lot more than her words would. “We've called your mother, Mr. Ackerman,” she said slowly. “She should arrive shortly. Please try to rest until then.”

Worry began to settle into Levi's stomach. Soon after the nurse exited his room, he rose slowly from the hospital bed. A dizziness hit him momentarily and he shut his eyes quickly to try and staid himself. As soon as the spell passed, he peered down at the front of himself noting all the small cuts covering his arms and splotches of blood on his jeans. Something told him that not all of it was his. 

He crept out into the busy emergency room and went unnoticed by the preoccupied personnel bustling around. Slowly, he went from room to room checking the file on the doors hoping to spot Erwin's.

The last room he came upon had been labeled Trauma and he quickly took the chart posted outside of it, spotting Smith's name instantly. Levi knocked at the door briefly before stepping in after hearing only silence. 

The sleeping body of Erwin Smith lay on the hospital bed, his body bruised and broken. With trembling hands Levi began to flip through the pages of Erwin's file. After scanning through the teen's diagnoses, a stifled gasp left Levi's lips. Both legs fractured, including his right arm. 

Something kept Levi from moving. Perhaps it was the image of Erwin unconscious and broken or the grim realization that the boy would most likely never play baseball again. 

Slowly, he shuffled forward his legs feeling heavy. 

Erwin had only a few minor cuts to his face; his golden hair strewn messily over his bushy eyebrows. Levi lifted a trembling hand to the teen's face and carefully brushed a few strands back away from his closed eyes.

_We need you._

The sudden wave of emotion passed and without much thought Levi began to rifle through the cabinets and drawers of the hospital room before he finally found what he had been looking for. 

“Excuse me,” a familiar voice caught him by surprise. Nurse Anna was standing behind him, a worried look on her face.

“I'm taking this,” Levi said, and held up the small arm sling he had found in the drawer. 

“You're not injured,” she noted and took the Erwin's file from his hands. 

“My arm is sore.”

She nodded and placed a hand over the boy's shoulders. “You're mother is here for you. Would you like me to tell your friend that you went home when he wakes up?”

“No,” Levi paused to look back at Erwin still unconscious behind them. “I'd like it if you wouldn't tell him anything.” 

As soon as he exited the room, Levi began to fashion the arm sling onto his right arm – his pitching arm. The nurse led him to his mother and after a while he was discharged home. 

The following week at school, Levi showed up with his arm in a sling. Erwin was still out and for the first time in four years Levi's name didn't appear on the baseball roster at the beginning of the season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have Baseball AU about various SNK characters and I'm going to post them here under 'Through the Season." They are all connected. They are not in chronological order. Please tell me what you think, as criticism is always welcomed (please be warned a beta was not used). I am looking for people to talk fandom over on Twitter @AbrilAleLopez so if you want you can join me over there to talk about this fic! Please enjoy!


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